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ABOUT: Join us on Friday, April 17, 2015 from 6:30-10pm for our Barn Dance Benefit presented by the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation. This is an incredibly unique event that takes place at our farm and features music, dancing, dinner, and cocktails under the Louisiana night sky. As the largest urban farm in the city, located in heart of beloved City Park, we are proud to invite you to this fantastic annual party. Thanks to our beautiful, outdoor setting we have no capacity limit for the event, so bring your friends!

This year, square dancing with caller Dan Baker and free Zydeco instruction with Harold Bernard kicks off an evening of revelry on the farm. Performances by four-time Grammy nominee Cedric Watson, My Wife’s Hat and The Western Sweethearts will inspire revelers to kick up their heels. Premier local restaurants and chefs plan to cook up delightful small plates:

We will also offer craft cocktails, coffee specialties, and have ice-cold beer on hand. And last but not least, we are offering some very exciting silent auction items, including once in a lifetime vacation opportunities, unique art pieces, and other special surprises.

CULTIVATE FRIENDS AND SAVE! Make a $400 contribution and you’ll get 11 tickets (that’s 1 ticket free!) and you’ll also underwrite one comp ticket for a Grow Dat youth or community member. Or, make a $200 donation and you’ll get 6 tickets (one ticket free!) and underwrite one comp ticket for a Grow Dat youth.

FEATURED SPONSORS:
The Goldring Family Foundation
Donna and Jim Barksdale

ABOUT GROW DAT: The mission of the Grow Dat Youth Farm is to nurture a diverse group of young leaders through the meaningful work of growing food. You can support these young adults who are growing food for New Orleans by joining us for the Grow Dat Hootenanny! Proceeds from this benefit will help us employ 40 teenagers to grow 12,000 pounds of food this year.

Founder and Director Johanna Gilligan released an op-ed in The Lens this morning on the importance and lasting impact of good food jobs.

“A strong stock market will do us no good if its foundation is an economy that further degrades the basis of the planet’s true wealth — its biodiversity, its water, air and soil. We have no choice but to see the links between our economic and environmental challenges and to address them as one.”

Inside: a detailed look at our Leadership Program and the 40 youth currently working with us (a 30% increase from last year!), a debrief on this year’s 2nd annual Hootenanny, our take on “Kalegate”, and some exciting funding announcements.

Food Writer Judy Walker of the Times-Picayune and NOLA.com checked up on our farm and Founder Johanna Gilligan last week and her great story is running online today.

Judy visited us four years ago when we first launched the project and were not even on our City Park site yet (remember our pilot year at the lovely Hollygrove Market and Farm?)— check out how we’ve grown since then!

Inside: Happy new year from Program Manager Jeanne Firth, info about our Farm Stand and new Farm Share (CSA) initiative, wrap up of our annual Growing the Green campaign, overview of the 2014 Leadership Program, a welcome to our newest staff member Yasmin Davis, a sneak peek preview of two upcoming films about the farm, and recent press and funding successes.

“I learned a lot about speaking and speaking out in public, and taking
all the opportunities to open up to different people. If you don’t, you
will never know what they have to offer.”
-Youth Crew Member

Please support our work to build the next generation of leaders in New Orleans and beyond. Donate to our Growing the Green campaign today!